Photograph
by Ranchel
Summary: An old photograph in an old drawer in Russia's desk. Latvia, don't you remember who is the boy who appears in it? One-shot


**Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia, sadly.**

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><p>Raivis knocked on the door of Ivan's office, but there was no answer. Maybe he is focused on his work and doesn't hear me, the boy thought. He was carrying a tray with a cup of tea and some pastries Toris had prepared. He had forced himself not to tremble, because he knew that if he spilled the tea over the carpet he would get a hard punishment from his boss, Ivan.<p>

He decided to enter the room and, pushing the heavy door with his back while holding the tray carefully, he found himself in Ivan's office. Raivis was sure that it was the biggest room in the house after the living room. It had a huge window in the back wall that filled the room with light and, for the dark nights, an old chandelier hanged from the ceiling. It had the flag of the Soviet Union in one of the corners and there were several photographs hanging in the walls: one of them all, posing like a family, one with his sisters, one with Yao in the trenches, a drawing of Kievan Rus, his mother, one with Antonio in the final of the Euro Cup of 1964 and even one with Ludwig in the Christmas truce, playing poker, there was none of him and Alfred. A forest green carpet covered the floor and the table was situated in the middle of the room. But Raivis' favourite part of the room was the giant bookshelf, before coming to the house he didn't think so many books had been written. Don Quijote, Shakespeare, Tolstoi, Dostoievski, Virgil, the Iliad, the Odyssey were some of the books he had and sometimes Ivan let him take some of them to read them.

As he observed the book he saw one of the drawers in the desk was opened, he knew he shouldn't pry but his curiosity got the better of him. Raivis put the tray on the table and look inside the old drawer, there laid an old photograph, in black and white, of a young boy in a sailor suit, the boy looked so much like himself that, for a moment, Raivis thought it was a photograph of him. He couldn't go on thinking because suddenly the door opened and the tall figure of the Russian appeared in the doorway. He looked at Raivis and the boy instantly started to tremble.

"What are you doing in my office, Latvia?" he said with a creepy smile while approaching the boy.

"O-oh, h-hello Mr. Ru-Russia. I came to give you the tea Lithuania had prepared for you, but when I knocked no one answer and I let myself in" by the time Raivis had finished Ivan was barely inches from him.

"And why where you rummaging in my drawers?" he bent down to be at Raivis height.

"T-that's a f-funny story. W-when I left t-the tray on the t-table I s-saw this picture of myself and… well I was w-wondering when d-did you take this p-photograph of me, because I d-don't remember it" he said looking at the green carpet.

Ivan rudely took the photograph of his hands and looked at it and instantly sighed, when Raivis looked up at Ivan the big man was smiling at him, but no creepily, a real smile.

"That's not you, little Latvia, that's Alexei Romanov, the only son of Nicholas II and brother to Anastasia, don't you remember him?" yes, he remembered him now, he was the last Tsarevich of the Russian Empire, the poor boy with haemophilia "It's astonishing how much you look like him"

Ivan returned the photograph to its drawer and went to sit in his chair. Suddenly Raivis understood. All the pain, the suffering, the Russian's bipolar behaviour, why he closed himself some evenings in his room and didn't come out until the next day, why he insisted on Raivis sleeping with him so he could protect him, why sometimes Ivan looked at him with sad eyes, he now knew the truth, every time Ivan looked at him he was reminded of Alexei, the boy he couldn't save.

Before Ivan reached the chair, Raivis lunged at him and wrapped him in a strong hug. The Latvian didn't reach more than his stomach but it was the nicest sensation he had had in many time, he even could feel the little boy's tears soaking his military suit. Before he could say something Raivis spoke.

"He forgives you, Mr Russia, he doesn't blame you for what happened and he knows you loved him very much, and he loved you too." Ivan's eyes watered as he heard the double meaning in Raivis' words, he was talking about himself too.

The big Russian knelt before him to look at him.

"I wish, every day, that I had been able to save him and his sisters. Nicholas was not a good Tsar, but he didn't deserve to die, he was a good man. But sometime, things don't go as you wish, and you have to be strong. I know they are always with me, Raivis, that's why I am not sad. They're in a better place now" Ivan took the blonde's face between his hands "Listen, when you get independence-"

"Mr Russia, no-"

"When you get independence from me, you will have to go through many bad situation, but you must remember that you will always have someone with you, you will never be alone, and when the time comes, lean on someone, don't make the same mistakes that I committed" Ivan dried Raivis tears with his thumb before his own tears made him sniff. "And now, no more tears, okay? Do you want to go out to play football?"

"I would like that very much, Mr Russia"

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><p>That night while Ivan looked out of the window in his room, a little boy appeared by his side, he was wearing a sailor suit. Ivan smiled.<p>

"Hello, Alexei"

"God let me come to see you" said the boy smiling brightly at him. "We all miss you very much"

"Me too" the big man sighed putting his arm around Alexei's shoulders. A comfortable silence fell between them.

"So, how is heaven?" asked Ivan.

"It's awesome, I can eat all my favourite food, Papa and Mama are smiling again, and I don't have pains anymore, I can play football and run and skate, and I have meet a lot of interesting people." He said with a child's excitement "Catherin the Great is there, and granpa, oh, and the Roman Empire, and Ancient Greece, and I meet Robespierre, they said to me he was a bad man but he always plays football with me. Your mother is there too! And Mr Kennedy, he's a nice man, and Phillip the II, and Maria Theresa, and Shakespeare, Alexander the Great, and…"

And as the hour passed, Alexei went on and on, his excitement never decreasing, to Ivan's amusement.

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><p><strong>As usual, for any doubts, you can ask me and I will gladly answer you. Read&amp;Review.<strong>


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